Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 3x08 - "Surrender"

[jaime]

She told the whole ship if Jack Crusher didn’t come to the bridge within ten minutes, she was going to kill someone. He also, rather certainly, didn’t have a bomb. He had a bluff.
You watched with your phone in your hand, dunno what to tell you.

 

[fireproof78]

I was a bit confused on the Changelings getting killed via stabbing. It was a cool fight scene but wouldn't a dagger cutting through them be like Laas getting stabbed by the Klingon in "Chimera"? Speaking of Laas - can't Changelings survive the open vacuum of space? Oh well - we got a satisfying conclusion to Vadic.

These Changelings are not the same.

 

[Tuskin38]

I was a bit confused on the Changelings getting killed via stabbing. It was a cool fight scene but wouldn't a dagger cutting through them be like Laas getting stabbed by the Klingon in "Chimera"? Speaking of Laas - can't Changelings survive the open vacuum of space? Oh well - we got a satisfying conclusion to Vadic.

These changelings were modified by Section 31 to mimic humanoids better. It's possible a downside of that was also making them more vulnerable.

 

[jackoverfull]

Only homophobes can call female bisexuality evil

I’d say that goes for make bisexuality as well. And yes, I know that many people are more tolerant towards female one, but this doesn’t make them not homophobic.

 

[Mike Doyle]

These Changelings are not the same.

I wonder how many times they’d have to directly say that these changelings are different in the show for it to be enough to get the message across. They already say it A LOT but clearly not enough for some people.

This episode even had Troi saying she can’t normally read changelings but she can these ones because they’re different (I guess that comes from them actually having a brain instead of being all goo).

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

These Changelings are not the same.

Yep. In fact, TM pretty much said so on Twitter as well. I know he does troll, but it felt more like a confirmation of Vadic's death to me.

https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1644520358190682113?t=MOJ4-fVl1dW--L-tu8W9sQ&s=19

Everything we've seen about these changelings being made to perfectly imitate humanoids looks as if there's a trade-off making them less versatile overall.

Well, it's possible she isn't actually dead, but she probably would need help to.warm up and re-form.

 

[fireproof78]

I wonder how many times they’d have to directly say that these changelings are different in the show for it to be enough to get the message across. They already say it A LOT but clearly not enough for some people.

This episode even had Troi saying she can’t normally read changelings but she can these ones because they’re different (I guess that comes from them actually having a brain instead of being all goo).

I think until we get a technical readout on a computer display while Crusher and Data explain the differences, and identify the relevant weaknesses in this new form it will not satisfy all comers.

 

[vulcancicada]

Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet.
But after the revelation about Vadic’s past.
Could it be that her smoking is actually for medicinal purposes?
We don’t know that it is tobacco she smokes.
But I get the impression that she may still be in constant agony from her torture and she smokes to dull the pain.

I have done nothing but mention this... she's high af!

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I think until we get a technical readout on a computer display while Crusher and Data explain the differences, and identify the relevant weaknesses in this new form it will not satisfy all comers.

Speaking of Data, did his final fight with his brother remind anyone else of Avatar: The Last Airbender? I feel like Data’s spirit, like Aang’s, was unbendable.

 

[fireproof78]

Speaking of Data, did his final fight with his brother remind anyone else of Avatar: The Last Airbender? I feel like Data’s spirit, like Aang’s, was unbendable.

I got more of a Tron: Legacy vibe.

 

[jaime]

It’s been done to death tbh. It’s also The Matrix. Doctor Who did it last year, to an extent.
It worked really well here though, in a touching manner.

 

[Tuskin38]

It reminded me of that Who episode where he's been assimilated and he's playing chess with himself in his brain.

 

[Racefuel]

I got more of a Tron: Legacy vibe.

Yep. I think that was the energy they were going for with the musical choices as well.

Very much a "Flynn Absorbs CLU" moment

 

[Tuskin38]

The explosion of the shrike was inspired by DS9
https://twitter.com/esdi/status/1644735769200803840?s=46&t=GJ4lIGndtLwuph_LJO2AJw

 

[Mr Awe]

Did you think she might win in the end?

I thought she went out with a whimper whereas I would've preferred a bang. As in, an epic clash between the Titan and the Shrike. Instead, a bunch of monologuing and then blown out the airlock. I found it unsatisfying. YMMV!

 

[Mr Awe]

So was the Shriek bridge abandoned?

They just chilled while Riker et al took off on a shuttle and then when their leader bounced off the front they just shrugged?

"Overconfident" is the word we're using here. But also chilling!

 

[Mr Awe]

This. Totally. These modern writers can't structure for shit. Also I get the impression - I'm not saying it is this, but it feels like this - that the episodes are almost written in isolation. And like a game of Chinese whispers they are writing a story they can only partially see from the episode before. The flow is erratic between episodes. It takes a lot of skill to write an arc vs episodes in isolation where logical structure doesn't need to follow week to week. And you get to episode eight and you thin when I boil it down... what has happened? It looks a lot, a lot of noise... but has it really progressed much story?

That's interesting. I've had that same feeling about previous seasons of Picard, particularly the second. And the past two seasons of Discovery, but not for the current season of Picard.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Well with the serialized storytelling, we are watching a single story with subplots spread out over 10 episodes. What makes this season work better, IMO, is the reunion: assembling of the crew, getting Data back and getting to know Jack. As much as I highly enjoy almost every week, I'm positive this story could have been told in a single TNG movie.

However... most of the cast would have been sidelined and the film would have focused on, as usual, Picard (and his newly discovered son) and Data (his rebirth ). The rest would help deal with the overall plot thread about changelings in the Federation. What we're getting for the extra time are nice long visits with our old friends. How much you enjoy it, I imagine, would depend on how much you care about them going in. I care more about the legacy TNG cast than I do Rios, Raffi, Jurati, Soji or Laris. So this is a great visit for me, not for nostalgia but to catch up with characters I always enjoyed and to see them get their due. And some closure.

For me, the plot is incidental. I'm here for the characters. This was always a great cast to spend time with.

 

[Dukhat]

The explosion of the shrike was inspired by DS9
https://twitter.com/esdi/status/1644735769200803840?s=46&t=GJ4lIGndtLwuph_LJO2AJw

It would have been nice if they actually explained where they got the Shrike from.

 

[Ovation]

It would have been nice if they actually explained where they got the Shrike from.

Still two episodes to go.